I am kidding. Please do not call my school committee or start a petition to have me fired. I use my limited free time to write such lovely words. Without further adieu, #15 - #11. Enjoy!
20. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - My third favorite Jimmy Stewart film on the list. "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" is an accurate portrayal of American democracy. Jimmy Stewart plays Mr. Jefferson Smith; head of the boy scouts turned US Senator. This is not far fetched at all seeing Sean Duffy from The Real World Boston (and former lumberjack) is now a part of our House of Representatives.
My favorite scene in the film is the final scene when Mr. Smith launches into a last ditch effort to prevent a particularly terrible bill from being passed; he uses the ever popular filibuster. Who doesn't love a good filibuster every now and then? Not only is it a very fun word to say, it is a genius way of preventing something from happening.
My middle school students were the best filibusters in the world, as they knew exactly how to get me off topic and make me talk for hours on end about rock music, television, or my list of things to do before I die.
I know they probably could not care any less about how I sometimes tear up while watching "The Biggest Loser", but they pretended, and it made me feel loved. They knew that I physically can not NOT talk about Third Eye Blind or The Killers, and often they would make comments like "Have you ever seen the "Mr. Brightside" video (to which I would obviously respond with a dirty look and a sarcastic "NO?"), or "What are your top 5 favorite Third Eye Blind concerts of all time?" conveniently before a major quiz or test.
(#26 on AFI list)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWyEc7FAMTg A VERY frazzled Jimmy Stewart at the end of his long, energy-sucking, filibuster. (He faints at the end, and a little known fact about me is that fainting might be my biggest fear in the world.) I want to successfully go my entire life without fainting.
19. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - The only thing I remember about this movie is that it starts in color, then all of a sudden it turns to black and white, and then the end of the film, when the girl is in bed (I forget the girls name) the movie goes back to color. I am 100% positive that that is accurate. I vividly remember the middle of the film being in black and white and really tall people came out of the woods and starting singing some song about a grey bricked street.
Oh, I also remember the girls grandparents (I am sure they were her grandparents and not her parents or her aunt and uncle) were VERY wealthy and they lived in a big, beautiful mansion. The girl had a HUGE bedroom with really nice sliding windows that would never break if a storm came.
I remember the girl had a stupid cat that she took everywhere with her, even when she was riding on her motorcycle she would put that cat (OtOt was his name) in her front basket.
I just looked up some more info on the film from wikipedia and I now vaguely remember the girl making three friends while vacationing in Kansas. I KNOW they were in Kansas in the middle of the film. She even said to her cat, "OtOt, I am sure we are in Kansas now."
The first friend she made LOVED smoking and sitting real close to campfires.
The second friend she made love collecting soda cans and going to the recycling center every weekend. He also loved dancing in the rain.
The third friend she made was a lion and his name was Simba and his fathers name was Mufasa. His dad died at the beginning of the film, and this lion was very brave, just like his father.
It is a great movie, and I also heard that if you press play right when the MGM tiger roars at the beginning of the film and if you press play on New Kids on the Block's first CD at the same time, the entire movie and CD are in sync. It is real trippy. (#10 on AFI list)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5s8LURnmpc He is an interview with all the really tall people that came out of the woods singing; they seem to be a little smaller now.
18. Star Wars (1977) - There are very, and I mean VERY, few things in this world I like to do more than imitate Chewbaca. I feel as though I do the best Chewbaca impression out of everyone I know.
I DID NOT PLAN ON THIS, BUT............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8aEDaeBMyI I just searched for Chewbaca impression on youtube and I can not believe what I just found. Most of you have read my blog and been entertained for hours and hours on end. PLEASE do me one small favor and watch this video I PROMISE there is a zero% chance you will NOT laugh very hard at this. Even if you just watch the first :26 seconds, that is enough. I believe you will even be laughing hysterically by :09 seconds. If you don't find this VERY funny, you have serious problems.
I don't even want to talk about Star Wars anymore. I just want to keep watching the first :26 of that youtube clip.
As most of you know I tend to be very passionate about a lot of things. My first passion / obsession of all time was with Princess Leia. To this day she is in a close running with Smurfette for my number 1 favorite female fictional children's character of all time.
I am not kidding when I ask this.... but, is this the same film that has Yoda in it? Because I love him too, although I can not do a Yoda impression. I am always so jealous when I hear people that can. I think I now need to youtube the how to talk like Yoda tutorial. (#13 on AFI list)
17. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - For some odd reason I always liked ALF more than E.T. when I was younger. I do not think I have ever admitted that to anyone before, but here I am announcing it to the world. As a grown man, I am humiliated, and dumbfounded as to how 10 year old Ryan thought that it was okay to own an ALF stuffed animal, and be scared of my older brother's E.T. stuffed animal. If I could go back in time and give little Ryan 2 pieces of advise as to what NOT to be scared of it would definitely be my brothers ET stuffed animal, and of course Charlie Chaplin.
ALF might be a little edgier that ET, but ET is such a nice alien, and seems so innocent and endearing. I am VERY confident that if/when I ever have children I will never physically abuse them, however, if my son is ever scared of ET, at any point in his life, I may seriously have to think about hitting him really really hard.
(#24 on AFI list)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4yUQJeKZNs
Ryan's favorite children's alien - Age 10 Ryan's favorite children's alien age 31
I hate to sound arrogant or over-confident, but I am much cooler now than I was 21 years ago.
16. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - If I had to make a list of my favorite name of any movie of all time, this would be number 2. How could I not give the number 1 spot to Gigli? I feel so intelligent when I say "Gigli." Unfortunately, "Gigli" somehow does not make the cut for the top 100 flicks of all time, but I had to at least give it a shout out.
Saving Private Ryan Jacobson is such an intense movie and the acting is done beautifully. Who would have NOT demanded a refund if Ryan was not saved? Matt Damon not only made me feel like I knew Ryan, he made me feel like I WAS Ryan.
On a serious note.... I have never... in my life....... met a Ryan that I did not like.
Seriously think about it.
Ryan Jacobson
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Star
Ryan Starr (NOT a typo, there are 2)
Ryan Gosling
Nolan Ryan
The character Ryan from the television show O.C.
You get my point. And NO, I did not just do a google search to find famous Ryans.
Fine. Yes I did. I was stuck after me and Ryan Seacrest. But, honestly, let me know if you ever come across a Ryan that you do not adore. (#71 on AFI list)
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